Casa Natale di Enrico Fermi
Via Calatafimi, 45, 00185 Roma RM
Rating: 5.0 ★ (2 ratings)
Details
INCIPIT: This is a little-known place, which I have been documenting photographically since 2021 and which, over time, I have included and reviewed. A place at risk of disappearing twice, first from collective memory and then even from digital maps. I am happy to republish this story, updated and expanded, in the belief that some urban details deserve to be rediscovered and appreciated. WHERE IT IS LOCATED: This plaque commemorating the great Roman physicist Enrico Fermi, placed in his birthplace, is located in the historic center of Rome, in Rione XVIII (Castro Pretorio), at Via Gaeta 19, about 3 meters from the ground floor to the left of the entrance portal of a 19th-century building. HISTORY BRIEF: Enrico Fermi (Rome 1901 - Chicago 1954) was born into a bourgeois family. From a young age, he was passionate about studying physics. In fact, after graduating high school, he enrolled in the Faculty of Physics at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa. He was ranked first in the entrance exams. In 1922, he graduated. A few years later, he became a professor at the University of Florence. In Rome, in the 1930s, he formed a group of young researchers. Later known as the "Via Panisperna
This is a little-known place, which I have been documenting photographically since 2021 and which, over time, I have included and reviewed.
A place at risk of disappearing twice, first from collective memory and then even from digital maps.
I am happy to republish this story, updated and expanded, in the belief that some urban details deserve to be rediscovered and appreciated.
WHERE IT IS LOCATED:
This plaque commemorating the great Roman physicist Enrico Fermi, placed in his birthplace, is located in the historic center of Rome, in Rione XVIII (Castro Pretorio), at Via Gaeta 19, about 3 meters from the ground floor to the left of the entrance portal of a 19th-century building.
HISTORY BRIEF:
Enrico Fermi (Rome 1901 - Chicago 1954) was born into a bourgeois family.
From a young age, he was passionate about studying physics.
In fact, after graduating high school, he enrolled in the Faculty of Physics at the Scuola Normale Superiore in Pisa.
He was ranked first in the entrance exams.
In 1922, he graduated.
A few years later, he became a professor at the University of Florence.
In Rome, in the 1930s, he formed a group of young researchers.
Later known as the "Via Panisperna Boys."
With them, Fermi made the discovery of slow neutrons.
For this important discovery, he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1938.
That same year, due to the racial laws, his wife Laura was of Jewish origin, and he decided to leave Italy.
He went to the United States, where he continued his research.
He built the first nuclear reactor in history, the famous "Fermi Pile."
He also participated in the project that led to the construction of the first atomic bomb, used in 1945.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PLAQUE:
This simple plaque was installed in 2001 by the City of Rome.
It states: Enrico Fermi, the most illustrious Italian physicist of the twentieth century, was born in this house on September 29, 1901. His fellow citizens remember him with deep admiration.
IN CONCLUSION:
If this place has piqued your curiosity, let Rome continue to surprise you. Explore my other reviews to discover a secret city, made of details, emotions, and timeless wonders.